Dancer, Piano Player, Editor, and Introvert: Carly Catt

04/23/2021

A Smart Conversation with Carly Catt and Yvonne DiVita

If you're writing a book, this is the conversation for you. Don't let the young, beautiful smile fool you. This woman is out to make things happen in writing and editing. Good things - for the authors she works with.

When I met Carly I was immediately impressed with her professionalism, her talent, and her approachability. If you're a subscriber or a friend, you know how important approachability is for me. If we meet and you do not present yourself as approachable, I'm likely to step back and move on to the next person.

Carly asked if she could guest post on Nurturing Big Ideas, and after reviewing her work, I accepted. You can find her post here: Do I Really Need A Copy Editor.

One reason I was so impressed with her is because her description of a copy editor is spot on:

"A copy editor reads the entire manuscript while checking for many things: incorrect grammar, spelling, and punctuation; spacing and basic formatting issues; effective writing techniques such as word choice, parallel construction, passive voice over active voice, limited repetitions and clichés, avoiding vague or offensive language; and consistency of spelling and treatment of names, places, objects, actions, etc."

You'll learn so much in this talk - about writing, editing, using a style guide, and the need to make sure each author keeps their own voice throughout the book. Plus, how to write good -slang- dialogue.

Including what Carly does in her work to assure author's get the best result at 3:50 minutes in.

And, why she likes working with self-published authors at 21:00 minutes in.

But the best part of this conversation is her story. You knew I'd get to that word, didn't you? Story is everything. Story is what being human is about. Story is how we connect and communicate and share - as intelligent beings who care about each other.

Her story, the story of being 8 years old and editing documents for her father, is priceless. Why? Because she was smart, that's why. And because she had a father who recognized that talent in his daughter.

Following that is the story of her light bulb moment and how she decided to go from psychology to copy editing. And how she studied to become the master she is today. I hope you take that part of this conversation to heart - because we all need to study and learn, and keep studying and learning our craft, whatever craft that is, to be honest professionals who do a good job for our clients.

Oh, and she danced competitively through high school! (plus she plays the piano - color me jealous!)

You won't want to miss any of this video, so watch it all! And then leave a comment or a question, for me or for Carly.

Visit Carly on -

Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Website
Resource hub for self-publishers

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Nurturing Big Ideas is an AHA company: Authors Helping Authors.

contact Yvonne at yvonne (at) yvonnedivita (dot) com for a FREE session to uncover the book in you.

Posted by Yvonne DiVita at 12:06 PM in Book Coaching, Smart Conversations, Writing a book | Permalink | Comments (0)